Introduction

For this project, I wanted to explore dispararities in the population of men and women across Germany. I have frequently heard about the flight of women from rural communities, especially in the former East, being a contributing factor to depression and economic inertia in these areas, so I was curious if the data would show that there are indeed rurals areas, particularly in the East, where there are significantly more men than women.

Prior to starting this project I hadn’t seen any other examples of this data being analyzed in this way, though of course in the process of doing further research for it, I did eventually find other takes on this data (specifically, this web report from the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft: https://www.iwkoeln.de/studien/iw-kurzberichte/beitrag/wido-geis-anja-katrin-orth-weniger-frauen-gehen-maennerueberschuss-bleibt-bestehen-302444.html). Their map will look differently from mine, because they chose to focus on a somewhat broader age range (20 - 49-year-olds) than I did.

Data Sources

My core data is population statistics for individual “Landkreisen” (administrative divisions that are at the NUTS-3 level, similar to the US “county” level) via the German statistics portal, Destatis: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Startseite.html. Unfortunately, their site does not allow me to provide a direct link to the data source, but it can be found via the table code 12411-0016 (“Bevölkerung: Kreise, Stichtag, Geschlecht”) and 12411-0018 (“Bevölkerung: Kreise, Stichtag, Geschlecht, Altersgruppen”).

The shapefile I acquired from the Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie. It can be downloaded here: http://www.geodatenzentrum.de/geodaten/gdz_rahmen.gdz_div?gdz_spr=deu&gdz_akt_zeile=5&gdz_anz_zeile=1&gdz_unt_zeile=19&gdz_user_id=0

Mapping the Disparaties

Overall Population

To start out with, I wanted to first get a picture of how gender disparities vary across Germany irrespective of age. The “difference” mapped here is the percentage of men living in a given Landkreis minus the percentage of women living in that same Landkreis. The difference is calculated as the percentage of a population that is male minus the percentage of the population that is female. A more negative number represents a more female-skewing Landkreis, and a more positive number represents a more male-skewing Landkreis.

As the scale shows (ranging from -5 percent to 2.5 percent), the overall variation in the difference between the male and female populations in a given Landkreis doesn’t vary hugely. The most female-skewing Landkreis, Landau in der Pfalz in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, has a 5 percent difference between the male and female populations. The most male-skewing Landkreis, Dingolfing-Landau in the state of Bavaria, has a 3 percent difference between the male and female populations.

Interestingly, when looking at all ages, we don’t see a clear separation between East and West. Indeed, the darkest part of the map, i.e. the area with the highest concentration of male-skewing Landkreisen, is in southern Bavaria. But all in all, these numbers aren’t particularly dramatic, and the map shows that male to female rations vary noticeably across Germany. The numbers do tells us that overall Landkreisen in Germany skew slightly female, with approximately 85 percent of all Landkreisen having slightly to somewhat more women than men.

Adults aged 18-35

But to me, the most interesting variation to look at is not the disparities across Germany for the population as a whole. When we break up the data into age groups, we can explore specific trends that are tied to stages of life. I wanted to specifically focus on the 18-35 bracket, because this is an age range where many people are moving to new locations for educational or work opportunities (or both, since Germany has a great apprenticeship system), as well as an age range where many people are seeking out and establishing romantic partnerships (and thus an age range where a strong imbalance in the male-female ratio can conceivably lead to social problems). How do these trends vary when looking just as this specific age bracket?

The first thing you might notice when you compare the map showing gender ratios for the 18-35 age bracket with the map for Germany’s overall population is that this is a much darker map, suggesting there are both stronger and more numerous male-skewing regions in this age bracket. You see this reflected in the averages of the two datasets – for the overall dataset, the average Landkreis is 49.4 percent male. In the 18-35 dataset, the average Landkreis is 52.5 percent male.

However, I didn’t like how this map displayed the overall variation across Germany – I felt like the continuous color scale made it hard to see just how much or how sharply one Landkreis might differ from another. To address this, I made a second map for the 18-35 age bracket, this one with a discrete color scale where I could manually set the breaks in the scale. In this map, each consecutive darker shade represents an increase of 4 percentage points.

The choice to manually code breaks into the scale comes with the risk of critique that I’m simply manipulating the data until it shows what I want it to. I personally find it defensible, since I think it helps highlight the more interesting parts of the map without presenting a completely false picture, but it’s understandble if others disagree (and that’s why I thought it was also important to first include how the map looks when viewed with a continuous scale).

Here the most extreme cases – i.e., the most male- and female-skewing Landkreisen – are easier to discern. In particular, it’s easier to see that much of the former East Germany is sharply male-skewing, including multiple Landkreisen with the male population exceeding the female population by 10 pecent or even more. However, this is definitely not a trend that is solely present in East Germany: most of the Landkreisen in Germany have slightly to moderately more men than women, and Southern Germany especially displays several Landkreisen with at least 6 percent more men than women.

Let’s look at a few of the more striking cases.

Diving into specific cases

Whither women? The cities!

You’ll notice several small bright spots on the maps above, generally representing areas where there are (slightly) more women than men. They seem small in number and size, but in reality they represent large numbers of people, because these bright spots are usually Germany’s largest cities. Here’s a table of all of the Landkreisen that have a negative population difference between men and women within the 18-35 age bracket, meaning they have more women than men:

Kreise male_total female_total male_percent female_percent difference
Landau in der Pfalz, kreisfreie Stadt 5561 6611 45.68682 54.31318 -8.6263556
Freiburg im Breisgau, kreisfreie Stadt 33129 37284 47.04955 52.95045 -5.9008990
Münster, kreisfreie Stadt 45361 50097 47.51933 52.48067 -4.9613443
Bonn, kreisfreie Stadt 39060 42424 47.93579 52.06421 -4.1284178
Düsseldorf, kreisfreie Stadt 68846 74016 48.19056 51.80944 -3.6188770
Wiesbaden, kreisfreie Stadt 28451 30561 48.21223 51.78777 -3.5755440
Mainz, kreisfreie Stadt 31189 33456 48.24658 51.75342 -3.5068451
Oldenburg (Oldenburg), kreisfreie Stadt 20567 22027 48.28614 51.71386 -3.4277128
Köln, kreisfreie Stadt 132977 142088 48.34385 51.65615 -3.3123080
Heidelberg, kreisfreie Stadt 26580 28311 48.42324 51.57676 -3.1535224
Potsdam, kreisfreie Stadt 19124 20308 48.49868 51.50132 -3.0026375
Würzburg, kreisfreie Stadt 19859 20750 48.90295 51.09705 -2.1940949
Frankfurt am Main, kreisfreie Stadt 93158 96749 49.05454 50.94546 -1.8909256
Tübingen, Landkreis 29609 30737 49.06539 50.93461 -1.8692208
Bielefeld, kreisfreie Stadt 39039 40336 49.18299 50.81701 -1.6340157
Kiel, kreisfreie Stadt 35508 36624 49.22642 50.77358 -1.5471635
Bamberg, kreisfreie Stadt 10706 11020 49.27736 50.72264 -1.4452729
Osnabrück, kreisfreie Stadt 23172 23754 49.37987 50.62013 -1.2402506
München, kreisfreie Stadt 193392 197544 49.46897 50.53103 -1.0620664
Regensburg, kreisfreie Stadt 22387 22726 49.62428 50.37572 -0.7514464
Offenbach am Main, kreisfreie Stadt 15087 15239 49.74939 50.25061 -0.5012201
Passau, kreisfreie Stadt 7380 7422 49.85813 50.14187 -0.2837454
Hamburg, kreisfreie Stadt 220742 221931 49.86570 50.13430 -0.2685956
Erfurt, kreisfreie Stadt 24087 24209 49.87370 50.12630 -0.2526089

If you know anything about Germany, you’ll notice pretty quickly that there are a lot of familiar names cropping up in this list: cities like Bonn, Düsseldorf, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt, AKA some of Germany’s largest cities. Many other familiar cities (like Berlin or Nuremberg) don’t show up in this table, but only because they are just barely skewing male. In general, we observe that large cities tend to either have largely balanced male-to-female ratios, or they skew slightly to moderately female.

OK, but… Landau in der Pfalz??

Topping the above table of female-skewing Landkreisen is Landau in der Pfalz, a town toward Germany’s southwest with 46,000 total inhabitants. Why is such a random-seeming place the most female-skewing Landkreis by far within 18-35 age bracket?

My Technologiestiftung co-worker Ben almost immediately came up with what I think is a sound theory: Laundau is home to a branch of the Unversität Koblenz-Landau. According to Wikipedia, the main study programs there are teaching, pedagogy, psychology, social sciences, and environmental sciences – AKA a lot of fields that are traditionally studied by more women than men. It would take more in-depth research to know how good a theory this is, but at first blush, I think it makes a lot of sense.

And what about the men?

Ah, yes, the eternal question. Here is a table of the male-skewing Landkreisen:

Kreise male_total female_total male_percent female_percent difference
Kaiserslautern, kreisfreie Stadt 15500 11722 56.93924 43.06076 13.8784806
Ilm-Kreis 11178 8454 56.93765 43.06235 13.8753056
Städteregion Aachen, Landkreis 77976 60638 56.25406 43.74594 12.5081161
Darmstadt, kreisfreie Stadt 26258 20508 56.14763 43.85237 12.2952572
Karlsruhe, kreisfreie Stadt 49839 39114 56.02846 43.97154 12.0569289
Dingolfing-Landau, Landkreis 11492 9035 55.98480 44.01520 11.9696010
Prignitz, Landkreis 6438 5101 55.79340 44.20660 11.5867926
Schmalkalden-Meiningen, Landkreis 11064 8858 55.53659 44.46341 11.0731854
Amberg, kreisfreie Stadt 4976 4000 55.43672 44.56328 10.8734403
Jerichower Land, Landkreis 7342 5929 55.32364 44.67636 10.6472760
Burgenlandkreis 15258 12344 55.27860 44.72140 10.5572060
Mittelsachsen, Landkreis 26466 21443 55.24223 44.75777 10.4844601
Zweibrücken, kreisfreie Stadt 3988 3239 55.18196 44.81804 10.3639131
Elbe-Elster, Landkreis 7926 6452 55.12589 44.87411 10.2517735
Goslar, Landkreis 13755 11213 55.09052 44.90948 10.1810317
Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis 15307 12512 55.02355 44.97645 10.0470901
Waldeck-Frankenberg, Landkreis 15992 13077 55.01393 44.98607 10.0278647
Oberspreewald-Lausitz, Landkreis 8957 7329 54.99816 45.00184 9.9963159
Chemnitz, kreisfreie Stadt 27623 22619 54.97990 45.02010 9.9597946
Cottbus, kreisfreie Stadt 11542 9476 54.91483 45.08517 9.8296698
Hildburghausen, Landkreis 5721 4698 54.90930 45.09070 9.8186006
Harz, Landkreis 18717 15374 54.90305 45.09695 9.8061072
Heidekreis 14676 12059 54.89433 45.10567 9.7886665
Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, Landkreis 8583 7079 54.80143 45.19857 9.6028604
Mansfeld-Südharz, Landkreis 10665 8824 54.72318 45.27682 9.4463544
Kyffhäuserkreis 6286 5204 54.70844 45.29156 9.4168842
Wittenberg, Landkreis 9890 8188 54.70738 45.29262 9.4147583
Cochem-Zell, Landkreis 6076 5050 54.61082 45.38918 9.2216430
Suhl, kreisfreie Stadt 2888 2404 54.57294 45.42706 9.1458806
Vogelsbergkreis 10202 8500 54.55032 45.44968 9.1006309
Schwalm-Eder-Kreis 18051 15065 54.50839 45.49161 9.0167895
Landsberg am Lech, Landkreis 12544 10494 54.44917 45.55083 8.8983419
Rotenburg (Wümme), Landkreis 17190 14486 54.26822 45.73178 8.5364314
Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Landkreis 13256 11175 54.25893 45.74107 8.5178666
Hochsauerlandkreis 27028 22814 54.22736 45.77264 8.4547169
Höxter, Landkreis 14299 12080 54.20600 45.79400 8.4119944
Regen, Landkreis 8174 6907 54.20065 45.79935 8.4012996
Magdeburg, kreisfreie Stadt 30770 26053 54.15061 45.84939 8.3012161
Greiz, Landkreis 6967 5899 54.15047 45.84953 8.3009482
Main-Tauber-Kreis 13968 11839 54.12485 45.87515 8.2496997
Donau-Ries, Landkreis 14659 12428 54.11821 45.88179 8.2364234
Spree-Neiße, Landkreis 8215 6970 54.09944 45.90056 8.1988805
Straubing, kreisfreie Stadt 5698 4835 54.09665 45.90335 8.1932973
Mühldorf am Inn, Landkreis 12603 10697 54.09013 45.90987 8.1802575
Sigmaringen, Landkreis 14709 12489 54.08118 45.91882 8.1623649
Heilbronn, kreisfreie Stadt 15724 13352 54.07897 45.92103 8.1579309
Kelheim, Landkreis 13731 11664 54.06970 45.93030 8.1393975
Landshut, Landkreis 16679 14173 54.06132 45.93868 8.1226501
Altenburger Land, Landkreis 6669 5668 54.05690 45.94310 8.1138040
Hohenlohekreis 12573 10688 54.05185 45.94815 8.1036929
Nordsachsen, Landkreis 15849 13475 54.04788 45.95212 8.0957577
Emsland, Landkreis 36370 30952 54.02394 45.97606 8.0478892
Altmarkkreis Salzwedel 7228 6159 53.99268 46.00732 7.9853589
Wartburgkreis 10413 8880 53.97294 46.02706 7.9458871
Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, Landkreis 14349 12240 53.96593 46.03407 7.9318515
Salzlandkreis 15761 13459 53.93908 46.06092 7.8781656
Ludwigslust-Parchim, Landkreis 17686 15115 53.91909 46.08091 7.8381757
Birkenfeld, Landkreis 8001 6853 53.86428 46.13572 7.7285580
Bautzen, Landkreis 23013 19720 53.85299 46.14701 7.7059883
Stendal, Landkreis 9772 8374 53.85209 46.14791 7.7041772
Bremerhaven, kreisfreie Stadt 12976 11121 53.84903 46.15097 7.6980537
Vulkaneifel, Landkreis 5879 5042 53.83207 46.16793 7.6641333
Brandenburg an der Havel, kreisfreie Stadt 7061 6058 53.82270 46.17730 7.6453998
Saale-Holzland-Kreis 7006 6013 53.81366 46.18634 7.6273139
Calw, Landkreis 16253 13956 53.80185 46.19815 7.6036943
Lüchow-Dannenberg, Landkreis 4063 3491 53.78607 46.21393 7.5721472
Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis 23356 20078 53.77354 46.22646 7.5470829
Nordhausen, Landkreis 7926 6814 53.77205 46.22795 7.5440977
Holzminden, Landkreis 6838 5880 53.76632 46.23368 7.5326309
Wilhelmshaven, kreisfreie Stadt 8914 7666 53.76357 46.23643 7.5271411
Nordfriesland, Landkreis 16502 14200 53.74894 46.25106 7.4978829
Gotha, Landkreis 11852 10206 53.73107 46.26893 7.4621453
Soest, Landkreis 31199 26875 53.72284 46.27716 7.4456728
Ingolstadt, kreisfreie Stadt 17704 15268 53.69404 46.30596 7.3880869
Alb-Donau-Kreis 21185 18280 53.68048 46.31952 7.3609527
Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Landkreis 11766 10163 53.65498 46.34502 7.3099549
Salzgitter, kreisfreie Stadt 11037 9538 53.64277 46.35723 7.2855407
Uckermark, Landkreis 9290 8042 53.60028 46.39972 7.2005539
Gütersloh, Landkreis 39409 34119 53.59727 46.40273 7.1945381
Meißen, Landkreis 18556 16069 53.59134 46.40866 7.1826715
Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Landkreis 14487 12561 53.56034 46.43966 7.1206744
Karlsruhe, Landkreis 46065 39941 53.56022 46.43978 7.1204335
Tuttlingen, Landkreis 15423 13387 53.53350 46.46650 7.0669906
Coburg, kreisfreie Stadt 4937 4292 53.49442 46.50558 6.9888395
Main-Spessart, Landkreis 12500 10869 53.48967 46.51033 6.9793316
Saale-Orla-Kreis 6509 5660 53.48837 46.51163 6.9767442
Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis 10095 8789 53.45795 46.54205 6.9159076
Erzgebirgskreis 25863 22543 53.42933 46.57067 6.8586539
Börde, Landkreis 14270 12445 53.41568 46.58432 6.8313681
Schwäbisch Hall, Landkreis 21551 18796 53.41413 46.58587 6.8282648
Paderborn, Landkreis 38201 33349 53.39064 46.60936 6.7812718
Sonneberg, Landkreis 4466 3899 53.38912 46.61088 6.7782427
Günzburg, Landkreis 13560 11849 53.36692 46.63308 6.7338345
Nordwestmecklenburg, Landkreis 14089 12313 53.36338 46.63662 6.7267631
Kempten (Allgäu), kreisfreie Stadt 8445 7382 53.35819 46.64181 6.7163708
Werra-Meißner-Kreis 9608 8401 53.35110 46.64890 6.7022045
Unterallgäu, Landkreis 14930 13059 53.34238 46.65762 6.6847690
Eichstätt, Landkreis 15315 13396 53.34192 46.65808 6.6838494
Vogtlandkreis 17723 15520 53.31348 46.68652 6.6269591
Kaufbeuren, kreisfreie Stadt 4664 4086 53.30286 46.69714 6.6057143
Eichsfeld, Landkreis 9191 8052 53.30279 46.69721 6.6055791
Mecklenburgische Seenplatte, Landkreis 21539 18871 53.30116 46.69884 6.6023262
Kitzingen, Landkreis 9569 8384 53.30028 46.69972 6.6005682
Neuburg-Schrobenhausen, Landkreis 10580 9270 53.29975 46.70025 6.5994962
Traunstein, Landkreis 18470 16185 53.29678 46.70322 6.5935651
Harburg, Landkreis 22776 19959 53.29589 46.70411 6.5917866
Heidenheim, Landkreis 13944 12222 53.29053 46.70947 6.5810594
Tirschenreuth, Landkreis 7383 6472 53.28762 46.71238 6.5752436
Braunschweig, kreisfreie Stadt 33444 29320 53.28532 46.71468 6.5706456
Schweinfurt, kreisfreie Stadt 6115 5363 53.27583 46.72417 6.5516641
Nienburg (Weser), Landkreis 11827 10375 53.26998 46.73002 6.5399514
Sömmerda, Landkreis 5629 4941 53.25449 46.74551 6.5089877
Steinfurt, Landkreis 46437 40774 53.24672 46.75328 6.4934469
Minden-Lübbecke, Landkreis 31730 27863 53.24451 46.75549 6.4890172
Gifhorn, Landkreis 17260 15158 53.24203 46.75797 6.4840521
Esslingen, Landkreis 58910 51750 53.23513 46.76487 6.4702693
Warendorf, Landkreis 27799 24428 53.22726 46.77274 6.4545159
Saalekreis 14849 13061 53.20315 46.79685 6.4063060
München, Landkreis 35565 31287 53.19961 46.80039 6.3992102
Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis 8869 7808 53.18103 46.81897 6.3620555
Wolfenbüttel, Landkreis 11420 10055 53.17811 46.82189 6.3562282
Straubing-Bogen, Landkreis 10256 9033 53.17020 46.82980 6.3404013
Zwickau, Landkreis 25756 22695 53.15886 46.84114 6.3177231
Dresden, kreisfreie Stadt 74627 65762 53.15730 46.84270 6.3145973
Schwandorf, Landkreis 15513 13673 53.15220 46.84780 6.3043925
Ostprignitz-Ruppin, Landkreis 8054 7099 53.15119 46.84881 6.3023824
Neumünster, kreisfreie Stadt 8758 7721 53.14643 46.85357 6.2928576
Ansbach, Landkreis 19480 17183 53.13259 46.86741 6.2651720
Freudenstadt, Landkreis 12298 10848 53.13229 46.86771 6.2645814
Wolfsburg, kreisfreie Stadt 14270 12595 53.11744 46.88256 6.2348781
Düren, Landkreis 27492 24268 53.11437 46.88563 6.2287481
Weilheim-Schongau, Landkreis 13717 12123 53.08437 46.91563 6.1687307
Odenwaldkreis 9372 8291 53.06007 46.93993 6.1201381
Eisenach, kreisfreie Stadt 4121 3646 53.05781 46.94219 6.1156174
Wesermarsch, Landkreis 8548 7565 53.05033 46.94967 6.1006641
Kulmbach, Landkreis 6549 5797 53.04552 46.95448 6.0910416
Rosenheim, Landkreis 26704 23638 53.04517 46.95483 6.0903421
Heilbronn, Landkreis 36450 32271 53.04056 46.95944 6.0811106
Göppingen, Landkreis 26678 23639 53.01985 46.98015 6.0397082
Oder-Spree, Landkreis 13818 12252 53.00345 46.99655 6.0069045
Grafschaft Bentheim, Landkreis 14003 12422 52.99149 47.00851 5.9829707
Limburg-Weilburg, Landkreis 17550 15569 52.99073 47.00927 5.9814608
Kleve, Landkreis 33179 29441 52.98467 47.01533 5.9693389
Gelsenkirchen, kreisfreie Stadt 29438 26122 52.98416 47.01584 5.9683225
Oberbergischer Kreis 27703 24587 52.97954 47.02046 5.9590744
Vorpommern-Rügen, Landkreis 18763 16658 52.97140 47.02860 5.9428023
Stade, Landkreis 20591 18285 52.96584 47.03416 5.9316802
Amberg-Sulzbach, Landkreis 10571 9388 52.96358 47.03642 5.9271507
Bernkastel-Wittlich, Landkreis 10841 9628 52.96302 47.03698 5.9260345
Cloppenburg, Landkreis 19446 17271 52.96184 47.03816 5.9236866
Coesfeld, Landkreis 21551 19142 52.95997 47.04003 5.9199371
Rottal-Inn, Landkreis 12579 11179 52.94638 47.05362 5.8927519
Deggendorf, Landkreis 12814 11388 52.94604 47.05396 5.8920750
Neunkirchen, Landkreis 13192 11724 52.94590 47.05410 5.8917964
Freising, Landkreis 22194 19736 52.93108 47.06892 5.8621512
Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm 10335 9197 52.91317 47.08683 5.8263363
Kassel, Landkreis 21576 19211 52.89921 47.10079 5.7984162
Zollernalbkreis 19359 17241 52.89344 47.10656 5.7868852
Osnabrück, Landkreis 35726 31843 52.87336 47.12664 5.7467182
Ostalbkreis 33912 30243 52.85948 47.14052 5.7189619
Dillingen an der Donau, Landkreis 9963 8889 52.84850 47.15150 5.6970083
Emden, kreisfreie Stadt 6128 5468 52.84581 47.15419 5.6916178
Donnersbergkreis 7116 6352 52.83635 47.16365 5.6727057
Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen, Landkreis 9637 8606 52.82574 47.17426 5.6514828
Berchtesgadener Land, Landkreis 11516 10284 52.82569 47.17431 5.6513761
Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis 17232 15391 52.82163 47.17837 5.6432578
Coburg, Landkreis 8295 7413 52.80749 47.19251 5.6149733
Saarlouis, Landkreis 19453 17385 52.80688 47.19312 5.6137684
Märkischer Kreis 41652 37244 52.79355 47.20645 5.5871020
Görlitz, Landkreis 19252 17217 52.79004 47.20996 5.5800817
Sankt Wendel, Landkreis 8335 7454 52.78992 47.21008 5.5798341
Südwestpfalz, Landkreis 8717 7801 52.77273 47.22727 5.5454656
Kusel, Landkreis 6704 6001 52.76663 47.23337 5.5332546
Leer, Landkreis 17406 15583 52.76304 47.23696 5.5260845
Lippe, Landkreis 35154 31476 52.76002 47.23998 5.5200360
Haßberge, Landkreis 8622 7720 52.75976 47.24024 5.5195203
Aurich, Landkreis 18682 16743 52.73677 47.26323 5.4735356
Biberach, Landkreis 21698 19448 52.73417 47.26583 5.4683323
Wunsiedel im Fichtelgebirge, Landkreis 6509 5835 52.73007 47.26993 5.4601426
Ostallgäu, Landkreis 14331 12849 52.72627 47.27373 5.4525386
Teltow-Fläming, Landkreis 14268 12795 52.72143 47.27857 5.4428556
Miesbach, Landkreis 9803 8791 52.72131 47.27869 5.4426159
Bergstraße, Landkreis 26171 23474 52.71629 47.28371 5.4325713
Alzey-Worms, Landkreis 12661 11360 52.70805 47.29195 5.4160943
Helmstedt, Landkreis 8705 7814 52.69689 47.30311 5.3937890
Bamberg, Landkreis 15158 13607 52.69598 47.30402 5.3919694
Borken, Landkreis 39791 35740 52.68168 47.31832 5.3633607
Steinburg, Landkreis 12344 11089 52.67785 47.32215 5.3556950
Rostock, Landkreis 16501 14826 52.67341 47.32659 5.3468254
Darmstadt-Dieburg, Landkreis 29900 26866 52.67237 47.32763 5.3447486
Oberallgäu, Landkreis 15248 13710 52.65557 47.34443 5.3111403
Kronach, Landkreis 6110 5494 52.65426 47.34574 5.3085143
Cuxhaven, Landkreis 17497 15735 52.65106 47.34894 5.3021184
Lahn-Dill-Kreis 26003 23387 52.64831 47.35169 5.2966187
Altenkirchen (Westerwald), Landkreis 12938 11638 52.64486 47.35514 5.2897135
Rastatt, Landkreis 22982 20681 52.63495 47.36505 5.2699082
Memmingen, kreisfreie Stadt 4729 4256 52.63216 47.36784 5.2643294
Potsdam-Mittelmark, Landkreis 15762 14186 52.63123 47.36877 5.2624549
Aschaffenburg, Landkreis 17257 15545 52.60960 47.39040 5.2191940
Pirmasens, kreisfreie Stadt 4035 3635 52.60756 47.39244 5.2151239
Jena, kreisfreie Stadt 16956 15280 52.59958 47.40042 5.1991562
Rosenheim, kreisfreie Stadt 7847 7072 52.59736 47.40264 5.1947181
Westerwaldkreis 19716 17770 52.59564 47.40436 5.1912714
Miltenberg, Landkreis 12783 11523 52.59195 47.40805 5.1839052
Rhein-Lahn-Kreis 11671 10522 52.58865 47.41135 5.1773082
Havelland, Landkreis 13034 11755 52.57977 47.42023 5.1595466
Neustadt an der Aisch-Bad Windsheim, Landkreis 10141 9146 52.57946 47.42054 5.1589153
Bad Kissingen, Landkreis 9727 8781 52.55565 47.44435 5.1113032
Olpe, Landkreis 13865 12519 52.55079 47.44921 5.1015767
Rostock, kreisfreie Stadt 27765 25078 52.54244 47.45756 5.0848741
Wetteraukreis 30448 27511 52.53369 47.46631 5.0673752
Rottweil, Landkreis 14205 12835 52.53328 47.46672 5.0665680
Schweinfurt, Landkreis 11741 10609 52.53244 47.46756 5.0648770
Enzkreis 19677 17780 52.53224 47.46776 5.0644739
Delmenhorst, kreisfreie Stadt 8253 7461 52.52005 47.47995 5.0400916
Ortenaukreis 44160 39941 52.50829 47.49171 5.0165872
Flensburg, kreisfreie Stadt 12407 11222 52.50751 47.49249 5.0150239
Regensburg, Landkreis 19293 17452 52.50510 47.49490 5.0102055
Heinsberg, Landkreis 25459 23042 52.49170 47.50830 4.9834024
Uelzen, Landkreis 8372 7584 52.46929 47.53071 4.9385811
Lichtenfels, Landkreis 6444 5840 52.45848 47.54152 4.9169652
Vechta, Landkreis 17018 15426 52.45346 47.54654 4.9069165
Euskirchen, Landkreis 18410 16691 52.44865 47.55135 4.8972964
Dahme-Spreewald, Landkreis 13473 12217 52.44453 47.55547 4.8890619
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Landkreis 8734 7921 52.44071 47.55929 4.8814170
Freyung-Grafenau, Landkreis 7926 7190 52.43451 47.56549 4.8690130
Oldenburg, Landkreis 12084 10970 52.41607 47.58393 4.8321333
Reutlingen, Landkreis 30820 27984 52.41140 47.58860 4.8228012
Mannheim, kreisfreie Stadt 42017 38154 52.40923 47.59077 4.8184506
Ravensburg, Landkreis 31538 28641 52.40699 47.59301 4.8139717
Regionalverband Saarbrücken, Landkreis 37274 33867 52.39454 47.60546 4.7890808
Segeberg, Landkreis 25792 23437 52.39188 47.60812 4.7837657
Dithmarschen, Landkreis 12494 11362 52.37257 47.62743 4.7451375
Verden, Landkreis 12992 11822 52.35754 47.64246 4.7150802
Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Landkreis 26236 23881 52.34950 47.65050 4.6990043
Dessau-Roßlau, kreisfreie Stadt 6586 5996 52.34462 47.65538 4.6892386
Lindau (Bodensee), Landkreis 8022 7305 52.33901 47.66099 4.6780192
Mayen-Koblenz, Landkreis 20902 19041 52.32957 47.67043 4.6591393
Cham, Landkreis 13111 11944 52.32888 47.67112 4.6577529
Duisburg, kreisfreie Stadt 57119 52045 52.32403 47.67597 4.6480525
Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Landkreis 23756 21646 52.32369 47.67631 4.6473724
Leipzig, Landkreis 18933 17255 52.31845 47.68155 4.6368962
Siegen-Wittgenstein, Landkreis 31350 28581 52.31016 47.68984 4.6203134
Roth, Landkreis 12515 11413 52.30274 47.69726 4.6054831
Pforzheim, kreisfreie Stadt 15055 13733 52.29610 47.70390 4.5921912
Fulda, Landkreis 24100 21997 52.28106 47.71894 4.5621190
Schleswig-Flensburg, Landkreis 17706 16161 52.28098 47.71902 4.5619630
Merzig-Wadern, Landkreis 9937 9073 52.27249 47.72751 4.5449763
Unna, Landkreis 37751 34475 52.26788 47.73212 4.5357627
Altötting, Landkreis 11129 10169 52.25373 47.74627 4.5074655
Diepholz, Landkreis 20174 18439 52.24665 47.75335 4.4933054
Bad Dürkheim, Landkreis 11560 10568 52.24150 47.75850 4.4830080
Passau, Landkreis 18730 17125 52.23818 47.76182 4.4763631
Northeim, Landkreis 11744 10738 52.23735 47.76265 4.4746909
Ebersberg, Landkreis 13940 12746 52.23713 47.76287 4.4742562
Neuwied, Landkreis 17785 16262 52.23661 47.76339 4.4732282
Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, Landkreis 18575 16986 52.23419 47.76581 4.4683783
Ahrweiler, Landkreis 12087 11058 52.22294 47.77706 4.4458846
Rhön-Grabfeld, Landkreis 7943 7268 52.21879 47.78121 4.4375781
Barnim, Landkreis 14098 12900 52.21868 47.78132 4.4373657
Oberhavel, Landkreis 16611 15200 52.21779 47.78221 4.4355726
Saarpfalz-Kreis 13876 12701 52.21056 47.78944 4.4211160
Neu-Ulm, Landkreis 18725 17140 52.20968 47.79032 4.4193503
Herford, Landkreis 24640 22559 52.20450 47.79550 4.4089917
Dachau, Landkreis 16430 15043 52.20348 47.79652 4.4069520
Main-Kinzig-Kreis 42044 38509 52.19421 47.80579 4.3884151
Hof, Landkreis 8354 7654 52.18641 47.81359 4.3728136
Celle, Landkreis 17041 15616 52.18177 47.81823 4.3635361
Wesel, Landkreis 44023 40347 52.17850 47.82150 4.3569989
Kassel, kreisfreie Stadt 27485 25192 52.17647 47.82353 4.3529434
Ostholstein, Landkreis 16374 15031 52.13819 47.86181 4.2763891
Peine, Landkreis 12103 11116 52.12541 47.87459 4.2508291
Rems-Murr-Kreis 43558 40023 52.11472 47.88528 4.2294301
Aichach-Friedberg, Landkreis 13163 12097 52.11006 47.88994 4.2201108
Dortmund, kreisfreie Stadt 70051 64401 52.10112 47.89888 4.2022432
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Landkreis 12626 11617 52.08101 47.91899 4.1620262
Weiden in der Oberpfalz, kreisfreie Stadt 4690 4316 52.07639 47.92361 4.1527870
Emmendingen, Landkreis 16330 15034 52.06606 47.93394 4.1321260
Augsburg, Landkreis 24708 22748 52.06507 47.93493 4.1301416
Recklinghausen, Landkreis 59310 54608 52.06377 47.93623 4.1275303
Neustadt an der Waldnaab, Landkreis 9598 8840 52.05554 47.94446 4.1110750
Viersen, Landkreis 28017 25805 52.05492 47.94508 4.1098436
Bayreuth, kreisfreie Stadt 10994 10128 52.05000 47.95000 4.0999905
Würzburg, Landkreis 16225 14951 52.04324 47.95676 4.0864768
Pinneberg, Landkreis 28957 26684 52.04256 47.95744 4.0851171
Märkisch-Oderland, Landkreis 14190 13081 52.03330 47.96670 4.0665909
Gera, kreisfreie Stadt 8128 7493 52.03252 47.96748 4.0650407
Waldshut, Landkreis 17203 15864 52.02468 47.97532 4.0493543
Remscheid, kreisfreie Stadt 10927 10077 52.02342 47.97658 4.0468482
Hamm, kreisfreie Stadt 19419 17916 52.01286 47.98714 4.0257131
Forchheim, Landkreis 11537 10646 52.00829 47.99171 4.0165893
Kaiserslautern, Landkreis 10187 9414 51.97184 48.02816 3.9436763
Baden-Baden, kreisfreie Stadt 5022 4641 51.97144 48.02856 3.9428749
Erlangen-Höchstadt, Landkreis 13018 12031 51.97014 48.02986 3.9402771
Fürstenfeldbruck, Landkreis 21496 19874 51.96036 48.03964 3.9207155
Osterholz, Landkreis 9567 8852 51.94093 48.05907 3.8818611
Weimarer Land, Landkreis 6490 6007 51.93246 48.06754 3.8649276
Rhein-Neckar-Kreis 54812 50739 51.92940 48.07060 3.8587981
Oberhausen, kreisfreie Stadt 22171 20530 51.92150 48.07850 3.8430013
Neustadt an der Weinstraße, kreisfreie Stadt 5220 4834 51.91963 48.08037 3.8392680
Mülheim an der Ruhr, kreisfreie Stadt 16700 15488 51.88269 48.11731 3.7653784
Mainz-Bingen, Landkreis 19510 18097 51.87864 48.12136 3.7572792
Schaumburg, Landkreis 13997 12987 51.87148 48.12852 3.7429588
Worms, kreisfreie Stadt 9247 8580 51.87076 48.12924 3.7415157
Plön, Landkreis 10322 9580 51.86413 48.13587 3.7282685
Rhein-Sieg-Kreis 57794 53663 51.85318 48.14682 3.7063621
Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis 31158 28950 51.83669 48.16331 3.6733879
Bottrop, kreisfreie Stadt 11661 10837 51.83127 48.16873 3.6625478
Speyer, kreisfreie Stadt 5004 4652 51.82270 48.17730 3.6454018
Bodenseekreis 21466 19959 51.81895 48.18105 3.6378998
Herzogtum Lauenburg, Landkreis 17466 16241 51.81713 48.18287 3.6342599
Schwerin, kreisfreie Stadt 9904 9211 51.81271 48.18729 3.6254251
Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis 13974 13006 51.79392 48.20608 3.5878428
Wittmund, Landkreis 5156 4803 51.77227 48.22773 3.5445326
Ludwigsburg, Landkreis 57242 53341 51.76383 48.23617 3.5276670
Nürnberger Land, Landkreis 15848 14780 51.74350 48.25650 3.4870054
Bremen, kreisfreie Stadt 68914 64270 51.74345 48.25655 3.4869053
Böblingen, Landkreis 41015 38278 51.72588 48.27412 3.4517549
Bayreuth, Landkreis 9524 8890 51.72152 48.27848 3.4430325
Herne, kreisfreie Stadt 16455 15360 51.72089 48.27911 3.4417727
Hagen, kreisfreie Stadt 19169 17894 51.72004 48.27996 3.4400885
Hof, kreisfreie Stadt 4779 4464 51.70399 48.29601 3.4079844
Erding, Landkreis 14441 13507 51.67096 48.32904 3.3419207
Friesland, Landkreis 8446 7910 51.63854 48.36146 3.2770849
Bad Kreuznach, Landkreis 14860 13928 51.61873 48.38127 3.2374601
Krefeld, kreisfreie Stadt 23574 22096 51.61813 48.38187 3.2362601
Starnberg, Landkreis 11751 11015 51.61645 48.38355 3.2328912
Groß-Gerau, Landkreis 29111 27288 51.61616 48.38384 3.2323268
Erlangen, kreisfreie Stadt 16265 15253 51.60543 48.39457 3.2108636
Bochum, kreisfreie Stadt 43798 41139 51.56528 48.43472 3.1305556
Südliche Weinstraße, Landkreis 10123 9532 51.50343 48.49657 3.0068685
Wuppertal, kreisfreie Stadt 39220 36940 51.49685 48.50315 2.9936975
Frankfurt (Oder), kreisfreie Stadt 5737 5404 51.49448 48.50552 2.9889597
Ulm, kreisfreie Stadt 17136 16142 51.49348 48.50652 2.9869584
Germersheim, Landkreis 13339 12575 51.47411 48.52589 2.9482133
Stormarn, Landkreis 20262 19114 51.45774 48.54226 2.9154815
Trier-Saarburg, Landkreis 13933 13165 51.41708 48.58292 2.8341575
Lörrach, Landkreis 23190 21913 51.41565 48.58435 2.8312973
Offenbach, Landkreis 34721 32813 51.41262 48.58738 2.8252436
Stuttgart, kreisfreie Stadt 87974 83169 51.40380 48.59620 2.8075936
Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis 24614 23318 51.35192 48.64808 2.7038304
Ludwigshafen am Rhein, kreisfreie Stadt 19148 18156 51.32962 48.67038 2.6592323
Mönchengladbach, kreisfreie Stadt 28685 27202 51.32678 48.67322 2.6535688
Göttingen, Landkreis 37638 35762 51.27793 48.72207 2.5558583
Vorpommern-Greifswald, Landkreis 21854 20771 51.27038 48.72962 2.5407625
Augsburg, kreisfreie Stadt 38768 36850 51.26822 48.73178 2.5364331
Hochtaunuskreis 19766 18814 51.23380 48.76620 2.4675998
Ammerland, Landkreis 11100 10568 51.22762 48.77238 2.4552335
Fürth, kreisfreie Stadt 14455 13785 51.18626 48.81374 2.3725212
Rhein-Erft-Kreis 44459 42417 51.17524 48.82476 2.3504765
Hameln-Pyrmont, Landkreis 13031 12455 51.13003 48.86997 2.2600643
Konstanz, Landkreis 32662 31237 51.11504 48.88496 2.2300818
Rhein-Kreis Neuss 40611 38932 51.05540 48.94460 2.1108080
Fürth, Landkreis 10300 9906 50.97496 49.02504 1.9499159
Region Hannover, Landkreis 125628 121003 50.93764 49.06236 1.8752712
Landshut, kreisfreie Stadt 8184 7895 50.89869 49.10131 1.7973755
Solingen, kreisfreie Stadt 15835 15284 50.88531 49.11469 1.7706224
Mettmann, Landkreis 42682 41346 50.79497 49.20503 1.5899462
Schwabach, kreisfreie Stadt 3997 3875 50.77490 49.22510 1.5497967
Main-Taunus-Kreis 21337 20708 50.74801 49.25199 1.4960162
Lüneburg, Landkreis 18731 18188 50.73539 49.26461 1.4707874
Frankenthal (Pfalz), kreisfreie Stadt 5025 4882 50.72171 49.27829 1.4434238
Lübeck, kreisfreie Stadt 23780 23109 50.71552 49.28448 1.4310393
Gießen, Landkreis 34704 33751 50.69608 49.30392 1.3921554
Essen, kreisfreie Stadt 65685 63905 50.68678 49.31322 1.3735628
Hildesheim, Landkreis 27276 26563 50.66216 49.33784 1.3243188
Leverkusen, kreisfreie Stadt 15994 15578 50.65881 49.34119 1.3176232
Halle (Saale), kreisfreie Stadt 29253 28519 50.63526 49.36474 1.2705117
Trier, kreisfreie Stadt 17084 16691 50.58179 49.41821 1.1635825
Marburg-Biedenkopf, Landkreis 30256 29607 50.54207 49.45793 1.0841421
Ansbach, kreisfreie Stadt 4596 4520 50.41685 49.58315 0.8336990
Aschaffenburg, kreisfreie Stadt 7523 7399 50.41549 49.58451 0.8309878
Leipzig, kreisfreie Stadt 77581 76802 50.25229 49.74771 0.5045892
Nürnberg, kreisfreie Stadt 62043 61422 50.25149 49.74851 0.5029766
Weimar, kreisfreie Stadt 7296 7223 50.25139 49.74861 0.5027894
Berlin, kreisfreie Stadt 434829 431838 50.17256 49.82744 0.3451153
Koblenz, kreisfreie Stadt 14775 14707 50.11532 49.88468 0.2306492

Some observations about the most male-skewing Landkreisen:

  • The leading Landkreis, Kaiserslautern, is well-known among Americans for its large American military base. Obviously American service personnel are not included in German population statistics, but I wonder if the base attracts satellite industries related to the military and defense sector that would conceivably be male-dominated? Further, Kaiserslautern is home to a technical university which presumably has more male than female students due to the fields of study it offers.
  • The next four leading Landkreisen – Ilm, Aachen, Darmstadt, and Karlsruhe – are also well-known for their technical universities. Chances are, students in these cities will not be the least bit surprised if you tell them they are living in some of the most male-skewing areas in Germany: they already know.
  • Dingolfing-Landau, a Landkreis in the south of Germany, is not home to a technical university. It is however located in an area home to many auto manufacturers, including a BMW factory located within the Landkreis. I’m no expert on the automobile industry, but I presume it skews male like many other engineering industries?

Key Questions

  1. How does the overall proportion of men and women in a given Landkreis vary across Germany?

  2. How do these proportions differ when looking only at young adults (i.e., 18 - 35 years old)?

  3. What factors are relevant for predicting a larger disparity between men and women?

Consider:

  1. Can we observe migrational patterns with time series data?